Racism in Western Pa.

October 24, 2008

To the editor:

Regarding the recent statements concerning racism made by democratic Congressman John Murtha, I want to publicly state from my own personal experiences that racism still remains in segments of our population in western Pennsylvania.

Here's why. In recent conversations with people about the many crises our country is facing, some people told me that they would not vote for Sen. Obama because he was black or a Muslim. For those that would not vote for him because he was a Muslim, I felt they were really saying they would not vote for a black person, especially since Obama is of Christian faith. But even if it was about religion, not voting for someone because of their religion is still a form of racism.

I had one young man working at a quick oil change service say there is only one way and that is by the Book (bible) and he would not vote for any Muslim. Earlier I was having a wonderful discussion about the direction of the country with an older gentlemen, but as he was leaving, he said that there was no way he could vote for a black man. I responded that I felt that skin color should have nothing to do with voting for a person. I have had other experiences including some with family members make derogatory statements about black people.

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For me, racism does exist in western Pennsylvania though it is debatable how extensive these views may be within the population. I commend Congressman Murtha for raising this issue, because this fear, hatred and bias will never be resolved without being able to openly talk about it. I also recognize that there are many reasons for it.

I can also understand how some people could feel this way based on the poor behavior by others in our communities. But for many different reasons, some people seem to only see these behaviors in races that are different than their own. I feel that some people believe they are not racist because they associate racists with extremists; however, they still carry a bias against people of different races, religions, cultures and even gender. This bias could have an impact on how they vote.

The vast majority of our residents are not racists and should not be offended by the comments of Congressman Murtha, but alarmed and inspired to help correct this destructive thinking within our communities. It is contrary to American principles. I know of no instances where racism or religious bias has yielded a lasting value to society, but know of many that have resulted in violence, hatred and divisions. And with our world's growing crises, divisions are the last thing our communities need.

Finally the roots of racism whether religious, due to skin color, gender or culture are a result of unresolved problems at a deeper level in our society. Racism is not to be condemned or ignored, but healed. This is an opportunity for our western Pennsylvania religious community to send out of their churches, synagogues or temples, people with a set of common values upon which we can build a civilized society peacefully together.

Michael Krajovic

Vanderbilt

(Mike Krajovic is also President and CEO of the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council in Uniontown.)